NASA will send live 4K signals from the International Space Station

At the moment, the video on board the ISS is captured in 4K, sending the file packets to Earth, and broadcasting live HD signals. He is now working to explore the technical infrastructure needed to enable live 4K downlinks.

Carlos Fontanot, Imaginary Manager of ISS (NASA), has shared the experiences that the American Space Agency is carrying out in order to capture the splendor of Earth and Space, as well as life aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with the smallest detail.

At a time when it has been twenty years since humans have continuously inhabited space, the agency has its sights on returning to the Moon and traveling to Mars. “Without a doubt, they will be unique moments to be captured in Ultra High Definition,” commented Fontanot.

Since 2015, the Space Station has had cameras RED Digital Cinema, currently using the RED Helium to capture Ultra High Definition with cinematic quality. Now, it is certifying the RED Komodo as a new digital cinema camera aboard the station starting next year. It also has smaller cameras like the camcorder Canon XF705.

Although, at the moment, the video on board the ISS is captured in 4K by sending the file packets to Earth, the live signals are HD. Now he is working to explore the necessary technical infrastructure that allows 4K live downlinks. Possibly, as Fontanot has recognized, the first live experience will coincide with the launch of Artemis 1 in 2021. Artemis 1​ is an unmanned mission, the first of the Artemis program that will go into space thanks to a pioneering launch system.

The Orion, SLS and Exploration Ground Systems programs are critical elements of the Artemis program, beginning with Artemis 1, the first integrated test flight of Orion and SLS next year. Artemis 2 will continue as the first human mission, taking astronauts into space further than ever before…Mars.

SpaceX Crew Dragon

After 9 years, NASA and its commercial partners are again sending humans from the United States. A dedicated team of videographers, engineers and storytellers worked to capture the takeoff and landing of a historic moment in UHD, the mission SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Para ello se emplearon 4 drones que dieron cobertura al prelanzamiento y la actividad de la tripulación antes de embarcar a bordo de la nave. Otros 4 drones siguieron el lanzamiento desde la plataforma. Numerosas cámaras 4K cubrieron imágenes desde diferentes ángulos, otra cámara 4K trackeo el amerizaje al finalizar la misión y otro drone 4K cubrió el contacto con el mar.

En la misión se emplearon también otras cámaras como las F55 de Sony con lentes Canon CN7x17 KAS S Cine-Servo o una Sony HDC-P50 con un objetivo Canon JK20x8.2B sobre una dolly robótica I act en un carril dos metros.
Las señales procedentes de la cámara Dolly y los drones fueron grabados en un AJA KiPro Ultra.

The next mission that NASA will capture in Ultra High Definition will be Orion. The next generation manned vehicle with which the Agency will return to the Moon. UHD cameras are currently being used to document vehicle testing, capturing high-quality video for historical archiving.

Fontanot has also highlighted that the Agency has a flypack equipped with three UHD cameras that can be moved wherever needed to capture UHD images. This flypack consists of three chambers Canon XF-506, a mixer Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K, and MacBook Pro with the software ProPresenter y Blackmagic UltraStudio UHD Mini for graphics, various engravers UHD Shogun Inferno, and a digital mixer LLC TouchMix-16 16 channels.

Carlos Fontanot has pointed out that much of the production carried out by NASA in 4K can be seen through its channel, available for free via satellite, as well as through the Harmonic on Roku.

The ISS Experience

Felix & Paul Studios, creator of immersive entertainment experiences, and Time Studios, the television and film division of Time, have premiered Episode One of the innovative immersive series in UHD, The ISS Experience, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of human presence aboard the International Space Station.

Esta primera entrega ha sido producida en colaboración con el Laboratorio Nacional de los Estados Unidos de la ISS, la NASA, la Agencia Espacial Canadiense y otras agencias espaciales involucradas con la Estación Espacial Internacional y fue filmado completamente a bordo de la ISS usando la Cámara Espacial especializada en 3D y realidad virtual de 360 grados de Felix & Paul Studios. Esta serie inmersiva de cuatro capítulos es la biggest production ever filmed in space.

The first episode of The ISS Experience has been released in 360° mobile format on 5G-capable tablets and smartphones through major telecommunications companies. It will also debut in full 360-degree dome format at several planetariums around the world.

For the recording of video 3D 360º UHD indoors, a Z Cam V1 Pro customized. Low-resolution proxy files were downloaded for review before the hard drives with the RAW video were returned to Earth. The next step will be to capture a 360º 3D view of the spacewalks in early 2021.

And, as Carlos Fontanot has stressed, “Ultra high resolution is very important when exploring space, and carrying out experiments, both for history and for scientific and technological purposes.” Precisely, as far as history is concerned, NASA has begun to remaster some of its funds saved on film.